Issue link: https://www.balharbourdigital.com/i/175740
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP RIGHT: Dining al fresco at the Surf Lodge in Montauk; the Incan ruins of Machu Picchu in Peru; an aerial view of Palaia, Italy, a small town in Tuscany. PALAIA, ITALY The latest passion project from André Saraiva and business partner Lionel Bensemoun—the hipster duo behind iconic Parisian boîte Le Baron—is Villa Lena in Palaia (villa-lena.it). The idyllic hotel soft-launched this year in the week between the Pitti Uomo shows in Florence and Paris Fashion Week, bringing a throng of attendees to sample the setup. A 500-hectare estate of olive groves and woodland in Tuscany, it's intended to be as much a high-class commune as a hotel, drawing creative types from across various disciplines for a rustic getaway in the Italian hills. There are standalone buildings for rent across the property, and the best place to stay is at one of the apartments inside the 19th century villa known as the Fattoria, a grand stable with original pillars and vaulted ceilings. PERU Peruvian superstar shutterbug Mario Testino has quietly championed his home country his entire career—see how he recently shot Kate Moss in full Peruvian costume for French Vogue—and Cynthia Rowley recently stayed at Tambo del Inka (luxurycollection.com) in the Sacred Valley. Stylist, designer and Mick Jagger arm candy L 'Wren Scott is another Andean acolyte who makes regular trips, first to de-stress in the Amazon and then to soak up the history of onetime Incan capital Cusco. No doubt she'll stop in at the new ultra-luxe hotel debuting this summer at the heart of this UNESCO-endorsed site, the Palacio del Inka (luxurycollection.com). The hotel sits on sacred grounds directly across from the Temple of the Sun (or Qoricancha). Among its 203 rooms, the standouts are the 17 Casa de los Cautro Bustos suites: with their 13-foot ceilings and hand-carved furniture, they channel the mansion of a wealthy settler in the early colonial era. MONTAUK, LONG ISLAND Technically part of tony East Hampton, the fishing village of Montauk at the tip of Long Island is separated from it by a long sandy road, the Napeague Stretch. It's a sharp dividing line: while bankers and their wives cluster the manicured streets in East Hampton, Montauk's winding roads host a ragtag band of fashionistas, surfers and, well, surfing fashionistas. Bruce Weber long rented a manse here to shoot hunky, dewy male models on the beach each summer while Da Silvano scion Leyla Marchetto—one of the team running clubby hangout restaurant Navy Beach—lives there year-round. For overnight stays, skip the noisy hordes at the waterfront Surf Lodge (thesurflodge.com) and hunker down at the landlocked Solé East resort (soleeast.com), a former motel with bright, cozy rooms. Montauk's surf scene has spawn a similar culture even further east—in Japan. Check out Kamakura, the swell-soaked Japanese surf center near Tokyo, now luring the same posse. BAL HARBOUR 177